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Niaomi Dragonseer
Niaomi Dragonseer (commonly addressed by her nickname "Nia") is one of the five Riders of Alalëa—her dragon being Luminous—and, as of volume two, Eragon's second-in-command. Previously, she was the de facto leader of the RoA as the eldest and also due to her seer powers, which includes being able to control and travel through the Mists of Time and Space. In the beginning (Niaomi), Niaomi did not have full control over her gifts and considered them to be a curse. By Destiny, it seems that she has more control, as she is able to use a naiad's mirror to channel her ability and allow others to view the past in what has been termed a reminiscence. However, visions can still grab hold of her unexpectedly, and those linked with her mind at the time can also be pulled in (as Eragon was in Shur'tugalar). Despite her power over the Mists (which earned her the title of "the Seer"), Niaomi's greatest ability is a form of elemental magic that allows her to manipulate and conjure the ten elements without having to utilize her own energy. This impossible feat is a power that only the gods are capable of, yet it was given to Niaomi when they dubbed her their vessel to help bring an end to Galbatorix's reign of terror. Her bondmates taught her how to control the elements so that she gained mastery over them. Also linked to this blessing and her seer abilities is her role as the Brunskulblaka, which links her to the Dragons and Riders of the Age. This connection allows her to know basic information about the dragons—breed, siblings, parents—and limited information on their Riders—appearance, personality, abilities—as she explains in volume one. Her compulsory visions are usually limited to this group, and the tattoos on her right arm are a physical manifestation and representation of this gift, which is where her titled surname "Dragonseer" originates from. The star tattoo on her forehead (called a Dragon's Kiss), is where this ability stems from, though this was placed by the gods rather than by a dragon (as in the case of Elva). Being both godsblessed and a superior seer, Niaomi is one of the most powerful people in all the land; indeed, some believe that she may even rival Galbatorix (Indlvarn). Despite these talents, Niaomi is not "the Chosen one", and her fate is not to defeat the king but rather assist Eragon in doing so. __TOC__ Appearance Niaomi is a young and moderately busty woman of tall stature, with the elvish angular sort of beauty. Her features are stated by Eragon in volume one to be a blend of Arya's and Nasuada's: "She had skin only a shade lighter than Nasuada's and lips as full as hers. But her eyes were shaped like an elf's, almost as angular as Arya's and more so than Eragon's. They were a deep purple color with silver flecks swirling in their depths. Her nose was a prominent as Arya's, and her hair just as black, except it was more curly, like Nasuada's." When she first arrives at the Varden, she is wearing all of her jewelry (most of which was gifted to her for her sixteenth birthday): a black choker from which dangles a golden heart-shaped pendant and various items from her bondmates; a teardrop hoop for each of the Dragons of the Age (sans Miremel, who had yet to hatch); a charm bracelet on each wrist; a ring on each finger (the five on the left hand representing magic and the four main elements); and a bronze seer circlet. Her bangs form a fringe that usually obscures her Dragon's Kiss from view, with the rest of her hair often bound up in a knot by two butterfly hair sticks and a kuldrfëon placed between them. Like Arya, she has a yawë tattoo (though hers is located on the back of her right shoulder), but the tattoos on her arm are usually hidden from view. Being a helmingr, she has pointed ears and slanted eyes that are not as pronounced as in elves (but more so than human Riders' grow to be). Her own most noticeable feature would be her irises, which are a stark violet shade with silver flecks. They glow whenever she is experiencing a vision or briefly when she is channeling the Mists. Personality/Abilities As described by Saphira in volume one, Niaomi is brave, kind, and skilled. She does not hesitate to put her life in danger to protect others, as shown when she chooses to face the leader of the Black Hand spies within the Varden alone, and is a very generous person. Her treatment of her bondmates is a display of her compassion, for she considers them beloved friends rather than mere pets. She is close to her brothers and godsisters and is even willing to lie to them to protect them (Niaomi). The magnitude of her gifts does not make Niaomi cocky; indeed, many a time she considers them to be a burden. The guilt over losing her parents spurred an unwillingness to act on her title as the Seer, but she has since pushed past this as of volume one. She is a natural born leader, having lead her brethren since age five. Having the largest repository of information in the world—'Du Breoal Abr Kvaedhya'—available to her and being raised by both an elf and a Rider, Niaomi is well-educated in magic, history, literature, botany, zoology, arithmetic, and the arts. She is also a skilled fighter, having been trained from a young age. Besides for Naina (which has yet to be seen used), her primary weapons are the set of hair sticks she wears which double as two long stiletto knives. When dual knife-wielding in battle, Niaomi is light on her feet and strikes in quick jabs and slashes, incorporating kicks into her fighting technique as well. This tends to give her an acrobatic sort of style which is where her flexibility comes in handy. Along with her prowess in magic and being godsblessed, Niaomi is a dangerous adversary. Family Niaomi is the oldest of triplets, with Nathan following her and Nicholas being the youngest. Following the Wandering Tribes naming rituals, she is named after her father Niom Shur'tugal, the son of Ajihad. Her middle name was given to her by her mother, Leafë Ilerneö (previously Dröttningu), the oldest daughter of Islanzadí. Thus, both Nasuada and Arya are her aunts (paternal and maternal respectively), with Tristan—being a close friend of Niom's—acting as a surrogate uncle. As a result of Rosaminda and Renata being taken in by Niaomi's parents as their godchildren, they are her godsisters. In The Chronicles of Alagaësia, it is revealed that by Breoal, Niaomi will have married Eragon and born at least three children: Holm, Selena, and Erika. They are all described as "kids" and suggested to be relatively young. The origin of Selena and Erika's names are clear: the first after her late paternal grandmother, and the second following tribal naming conventions, suggesting Erika is the firstborn. Holm could possibly be named after Holcomb, Eragon's paternal grandfather. All of her brothers' children who are mentioned would be her niblings, with Rosaminda and Renata having since become her sisters-in-law. Mahogany would also be her half sister-in-law through marriage, making her son Brom Niaomi's half-nephew. Nasuada's son Prince Nasu would be her cousin, while Roran is (by the point she marries Eragon) her cousin-in-law. Alalëa Since volume zero serves as a prequel to the rest of Destiny, Niaomi has yet to make an appearance. However, her mother Leafë has since been shown alongside the rest of her extended family members (some of who are deceased by the time volume one begins). Shur'tugalar In the beginning of the first volume, Niaomi arrives flying on her pegasus Cloud just in time to save Nasuada from an assassin of the Black Hand to the utter surprise of all those present. Introducing herself using only her titled surname "Dragonseer", she quickly contacts her brethren (Nathan, Nicholas, Rosaminda, and Renata) so they can proceed to eliminate the rest of the assassins. Despite their mysterious nature and unusual appearance, Nasuada allows the five newcomers to hold off on giving proper explanations in favor of tackling the matter at hand after they pledge their loyalty to her in the Ancient Language. Arya, Eragon, his elven guard, and Du Vangr Gata team up with the Five to defeat the remaining Black Hand members, and Niaomi collapses at the end of hers, having taken on the leader despite being the sole solo member of the group. Eragon goes to her aid and carries her back to the pavilion, leading the two to share a moment. Shortly after Luminous arrives, followed by the other dragons (Emere, Toparien, Opheila, and Silveran), leading to the revelation that the newcomers are all Riders who hail from the island continent of Alalëa, before Niaomi also reveals that she is the daughter of Niom and Leafë, making her both Nasuada's and Arya's niece. While being questioned, Niaomi is led to reveal that her mother's dead, which prompts Eragon to comfort her before they reenter the pavilion. She proceeds to launch into the origin of the RoA, using her naiad's mirror to broadcast their history as a reminiscence and beginning with the day her father was lost to sea, only to arrive on Alalëa with Niüle's help. Niaomi continues narrating as the reminiscence shows how Niom first met Tristan and Wayłoêr before finding Vanilor's egg. The egg was taken by Leafë, and Arya explaining her sister’s actions as a betrayal prompts Niaomi to defend her mother, setting the ground for their strained relationship. Niaomi continues the reminiscence, displaying her parents' first meeting, wherein Vanilor is named, and narrates about how the two eventually fell in love, got married, and had her and her brothers. When asked about her Dragon's Kiss, she explains it's the mark of the seer but moves on to show Belinda's arrival to Alalëa while pregnant with Renata and Rosaminda. A lady from Galbatorix's court, Belinda's story is told to Leafë and Niom while she's in labor: how she fell in love with the Rider Beloth, her betrayal by her sister Liress, and how she eventually escaped from captivity after Galbatorix murdered her lover, only to die from the effects of Skilna Bragh just after naming the twins. The Search Arc begins in the next reminiscence, which takes place twelve years prior to the beginning of Shur'tugalar. The five-year-old Niaomi and her brethren are caught spying on the fairies by their queen, Elodiâ, who upon seeing her Dragon's Kiss reveals that she is the prophesied Brunskulblaka and her fate is entwined with the dragons. The voice of Zeus suddenly appears to explain that he bestowed a blessing upon Niaomi prior to her birth, the source of the silver flecks in her violet eyes. He encourages her to fulfill the prophecy, which releases Hekate, the goddess of magic, who gives Niaomi another blessing in the form of Gedwëy. Hekate informs her that the dragon fairy is a mark of her destiny as a Rider and the first of her ten bondmates, reciting a riddle that provides the order that the rest will be found in before the goddess disappears. The reminiscence is paused so that the RoA can explain the origin of the gods and the various races that each made. Indlvarn In the beginning of the second volume, Niaomi and Eragon are just re-emerging from the vision they were pulled into at the end of the previous volume. Niaomi The titular character, Niaomi begins shortly after the Reminiscence Arc left off. Niaomi wakes up with the yet-to-be-named Luminous on a beach in Alagaësia. The Chronicles of Alagaësia Niaomi has been featured in several short stories, here listed in sequential rather than chronological order: "Destined Feud", "Destined Havoc", "Destined Family" (mention only), "Destined Love", and "Destined Souls" (mention only). Save for the first one (which takes place approximately ten years prior to Destiny), these short stories take place over a decade after Destiny and are planned to be a part of its sequel, Breoal. Destined Feud Nathan is rubbing sticks together when Niaomi comes along to inquire as to what he is doing. Her brother is noticeably reluctant but finally informs her of his attempts to start a fire and how they have failed due to his lack of kindling. She generously offers to allow him to use some of her hair, and so he attempts to add some of it to the non-existent fire with magic (despite her obvious hesitation). Nathan's spell goes awry as he changes the order of the words: rather than adding her hair to the fire, he adds the fire to her hair. Niaomi manages to jump into Wayłoêr's stream and escape injury, though she emerges muddy with her hair partially burnt off. Her appearance causes her brother to howl in laughter as she storms off, irritated yet finding some amusement at Nathan's behavior being "what little brothers do." This chronicle is mentioned is the first volume of Destiny when Nathan recounts the tale for Eragon. Destined Havoc Niaomi appears on the Rider Council along with the other RoA (sans Galbatorix), who are councilmen as well, and Arya, who has since taken her mother's position as queen of the elves. The Council is arguing with the queen's decision to send Murtagh's three apprentices to investigate the on-going destruction of Du Weldenvarden. Niaomi pleads with her aunt, but Arya holds firm, stating that secrecy is key to this mission being a success and so she cannot send out any notable figures. When Nicholas questions whether they can discover any more information, his sister dismally explains that her seer powers of are no use and that even Wayłoêr "cannot see what danger lies there." Soon afterwards the apprentices arrive and greet the Council and the queen. Niaomi says she's heard many great things about Roslyn, who blushes slightly at her praise. Arya tells the three of their mission, and Niaomi gives them each a naiad mirror so that they can contact anyone on the Council should the danger prove to be to much for them to defeat on their own. After Blagden recites to Belle his riddle, she and the other apprentices depart. The Riders tease each other, with Arya commenting on their child-like behavior, before Eragon mentions needing to leave to read Holm and Selena a bedtime story. Niaomi mentions a third child, Erika, before her aunt declares the meeting adjourned. Destined Family Niaomi is mentioned twice in this chronicle: Belle remembers needing to return the naiad mirror to her when speaking to Adurnaë (but never gets the chance), and Lana reveals that Niaomi is her master when recalling how she and others have faith in the blonde's healing abilities. Destined Love Niaomi has a short cameo at the party thrown in honor of Belle's recovery, where she dances with her husband Eragon and the two share a kiss. Destined Souls Rosaminda briefly thinks of Niaomi, who told her that the new generation of Riders had to work together to defeat Galbatorix for the second time, as the members of the Council cannot go to battle because of the wards he has cast. Du Kvaedhya Helgr In the guide, there is a chapter dedicated to the ten elements that Niaomi wields control over, as well as a brief description of her in "Dragons & Riders" that reads: Her bondmates are also listed beside their respective races in "Creatures & Creators".